Personal sports writing archive of Blake Murphy.

Is this the year the Toronto Raptors finally draft a Canadian?

Title: Is this the year the Toronto Raptors finally draft a Canadian?Date: May 24, 2017Original Source:The AthleticSynopsis: In my latest for The Athletic Toronto, I wrote about the five Canadians the Raptors worked out early in the draft process and what it says about the growth of basketball in Canada.

Above all else, Dillon Brooks was just happy to be able to get home and play with his dog. While Zeus, a 70-pound, nine-month old Rottweiler, is one heck of a draw, the real reason Brooks was wrapping up a long weekend in Mississauga was because he had important business on Victoria Day: A pre-draft workout with the Raptors.

“Got to stay with my own family, got to sleep in my own bed, felt good,” Brooks explained after his session. “I got to see my dog, it felt good coming out here, playing for the home team.”

Brooks is one of 20 prospects the Raptors have looked at throughout four workout sessions, a relatively tiny slice of what their eventual decision-making process will look like. Last year, the Raptors didn’t host a single workout until June 1 and still managed to put 59 players through the ringer. Brooks is also one of five Canadians who have already worked out for the Raptors, That list includes his Oregon teammate Dylan Ennis, Xavier Rathan-Mayes, MiKyle McIntosh, and Maryland’s Justin Jackson. There could be more to come, too, as the growth of Canadian basketball continues to help populate the NCAA ranks.